Family-Friendly Chocolate Mousse

But only if no one in the family is dieting. I call it that because while I was pregnant I never felt OK getting mousse in a restaurant because sometimes they're made with uncooked egg whites. This recipe, from Alton Brown, doesn't use any eggs at all, so even little kids can have it. (Oops, well I guess you'd have to omit the rum, maybe, but I think it'd still work.)

This is not his recipe to the letter, so for fail-safe results look his up on www.foodtv.com.

First I put a shot of dark coffee in the top of a double boiler with 1 cup chocolate chips (which is all I had; anyone looking for a good BD present for me might buy me some nice bittersweet chocolate for baking), a splash of dark rum and 2 tablespoons butter. Melted it above simmering water until there were just a few chunks left, then pulled it off the simmering water and stirred it until the carryover heat finished the job. Set it aside to cool.

Then I sprinkled 1/2 teaspoon gelatin over some (less than 1/4 cup) heavy cream in a metal 1 cup measure. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then stirred it over low heat until the gelatin had melted. Added that to the chocolate.

Whipped the rest of the cream (a little more than 3/4 cup) in a chilled metal bowl with chilled beaters until medium peaks would form, then stirred a dollop into the chocolate. Folded in the rest, then divided between 4 ramekins and chilled in the fridge for 1 hour. Really, really rich stuff.